Arnold & Porter Foundation Gifts Sturm College of Law to Support Advancement of Civil Rights

The Arnold & Porter Foundation gifted funds to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law to create two new endowed scholarships that support outstanding students with a demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights. The gift also will support a strategic litigation fund designed to advance the nationally recognized work of the law school's Civil Rights Clinic, part of its highly ranked clinical program.

The Abe Krash Access to Justice Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a gift from the Foundation, will endow scholarships for students with a demonstrated interest in civil rights and access to justice. The fund honors Abe Krash, who played a key role in the team that represented Clarence Gideon in the landmark US Supreme Court case that guaranteed the right to counsel in criminal matters, Gideon v. Wainwright.

"We are pleased to support the important work of the Civil Rights Clinic at Denver Law and those students dedicated to devoting their careers to advancing the cause of civil rights and civil liberties," said Richard M. Alexander, chair of Arnold & Porter and the Arnold & Porter Foundation. "Our firm has a long-standing commitment to equal access to justice, and our Denver office has played a vital role in advancing these pro bono efforts."

The Arnold & Porter Civil Rights Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a second gift, will endow scholarships for students with a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and prisoners' rights.

Additional funds will be contributed for the advancement of the law school's Civil Rights Clinic, with a particular focus on litigation and advocacy on behalf of incarcerated individuals. The clinic has achieved a well-earned national reputation in this area of law.